John Berger: Understanding a Photograph - (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

John Berger's explorations of the relationships between the individual and society, culture and politics, and experience and expression through the written word, films, photographic collaborations and performances are unmatched in their diversity, ambition and reach. His television series and book Ways of Seeing revolutionized the way that art is understood. Now, Understanding a Photograph gathers the photography writings of one of the most internationally influential authors of the past 50 years. Understanding a Photograph is arranged chronologically, leading the reader on a thought-provoking journey through selected essays from hallmark works such as "About Looking" and "Another Way of Telling," as well as previously uncollected pieces written for exhibitions or catalogues that discuss a wide range of artists--from August Sander to Jitka Hanzlová. This collection of some 25 texts has been carefully selected by novelist and essayist Geoff Dyer, who has also written a critical study of Berger's oeuvre.

Review Quotes

This is a series of Berger's essays, arranged chronologically, about photography's role in the shaping of society. -American Photo
This new selection of more than 20 essays, edited by Geoff Dyer and including previously uncollected pieces, is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the power of this ubiquitous medium. Spanning some 40 years, they include pieces on the 1967 photograph of Che Guevara's corpse, on the meaning of photographs...on the shock effect of war images... There are also typically insightful pieces on Paul Strand, W. Eugene Smith, André Kertész and Henri Cartier-Bresson... As ever with Berger's writing, the theoretical is always informed by politics and a deeply felt humanity. -The Guardian